ADF urges Senate to clarify college sports bill won’t preempt state women’s sports laws
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom CEO, President, and Chief Counsel Kristen Waggoner regarding the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668), a bill currently in the U.S. Senate that could be voted on this week:
“For nearly a decade, Alliance Defending Freedom has worked with courageous female athletes, state and national lawmakers, and allies across the country to protect fairness, privacy, and safety in women’s sports. That work led to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order last January reaffirming biological truth and recognizing that men don’t belong in women’s sports. And it culminated with the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Little v. Hecox and State of West Virginia v. B.P.J., upholding Idaho’s and West Virginia’s laws ensuring men cannot compete in women’s sports. The Supreme Court affirmed that states can protect women’s sports—a massive win for the 27 states that have passed laws doing just that.
“The Protect College Sports Act, which addresses issues such as Name, Image, and Likeness agreements and student athlete transfers, creates an unnecessary risk of undermining the Supreme Court win, President Trump’s Executive Order, and many other hard-earned victories for women and girls. The bill sets general eligibility rules for college athletes and then preempts states from maintaining their own eligibility rules, which could include laws saying men are ineligible for women’s teams. For weeks, ADF has warned Congress that activists could misuse the bill’s existing preemption language to argue that states’ women’s sports laws can no longer be enforced.